As semiconductor technology progresses, decreasing transistor sizes call for an ever higher degree of accuracy, repeatability and cleanliness in wafer processes and process equipment. Various types of equipment exist for semiconductor processing, including applications that involve the use of plasmas, such as plasma etch, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and resist strip. The types of equipment required for these processes include components which are disposed within the plasma chamber, and must function consistently and properly. To be cost effective, such components must often withstand hundreds or thousands of wafer cycles while retaining their functionality and cleanliness. One such component, the electrostatic chuck, is used to retain a semiconductor wafer or other workpiece in a stationary position during processing. The electrostatic chuck provides more uniform clamping than chucks employing mechanical clamping, and can operate in vacuum chambers where a vacuum chuck cannot be used. However, variations in aspects of the clamping can cause undesirable process variations within a wafer.